PLANS to stage a Bollywood drive-in movie event as part of Blackburn's Mela have been scrapped.

But the area's biggest ever free outdoor Asian event is set to be better than ever, organisers have promised.

Thousands of people are expected to flock to Corporation Park for the two-day event, which is another part of the celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the creation of Blackburn Council.

But no venue big enough could be found for the Bollywood event (Bollywood is the nickname for the Indian film industry)

Two stages are being laid on inside Corporation Park for the Saturday and Sunday Mela, which will be used to show off the various aspects of Asian life.

Art, music, drama and dancing will all be exhibited on stage across the two days.

There will also be workshops for local people to get involved along with fairground rides, market stalls and Asian cuisine.

The event organisers have secured performances by some of the top acts on the Asian music scene.

On the main stage on Saturday, a group called Legacy will be performing.

On Sunday afternoon, Taz from the group Stereo Nation will be performing. Well-known for using a mix of languages, the group fuse reggae and western pop to create a unique sound.

A spokesman for the Mela said: "Their debut album, Hit The Deck, has stormed the UK Asian pop charts and has been at number one for 36 weeks."

Silinder Pardesi, a solo artist who has been a big hit at previous Melas returns for this year's event, this time singing some of his new songs as well as covering classics from legendary Mohammed Rafi.

BBC Radio Lancashire will also broadcast their Asian Word programme live on the Sunday evening of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph-supported event.